


B.A.L.S.

by luveyes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Delinquent Keith (Voltron), Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, High School, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Teacher Shiro (Voltron), Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, a bunch of other people too but just briefly, the senior experience, violence warning not until later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 04:19:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19099600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luveyes/pseuds/luveyes
Summary: Hunk volunteers as a “Buddy” for “alternative learning students” or in Lance’s words, delinquents. Keith just so happens to be a delinquent who starts the day Lance goes and a very gay slow burn fic ensues, where Keith and Lance skip class together and choke on cigarette smoke and laugh at memes. The whole crew is in here in one way or another, don’t worry, Pidge is as snarky as ever.This is a repost/redo of this story which I posted a year or so ago, I'm much more proud of it this time.





	B.A.L.S.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm excited to finally get this off of my computer and out into other people's brains, I hope you enjoy!

It was always so fucking hot downtown. The brick captured the heat, the sparse trees every couple yards did little to curve it, and the asphalt radiated it. Nevertheless, there was nowhere else to be. Half-empty metal bowls of water baked in front of stores, some accompanied with panting dogs, some with leaves swirling in them. Stores had their doors shut, and their AC all the way up, tenets over the stores had their windows open, laying on the wooden floors with as many fans as their outlets could support. Everything was old downtown, and even the curling wrought iron on the many churches fences seemed to melt.

Lance and Hunk sat together on the curb, eating foil-wrapped burritos from the food truck slightly to their left, sweating plastic cups balanced in the shade of their thighs. This food truck is the same one that sold dollar frozen ices, as kids Lance and Hunk would beg or scavenge for the price when summer came around, running and hopping up on the baking hot metal counter to ask for frozen ice. They hadn’t gotten them in a while, the charm wore off after they could spare the dollar.

“Lance,” Hunk said and Lance looked up, hot sauce smudged on his cheek.

“Eh?” He asked, mouth full of chicken, rice, and beans.

“Are you sure you wanna come to my meeting today?” He sipped from his straw, before continuing. “I mean you have to work at five, and you have homework, and it’s not gonna be like fun or anything.”

“It almost sounds like you don’t want me to come. But that can’t true.” Lance smirked, squashing the twinge of insecurity in the pit of his stomach. Hunk sighed as Lance elbowed him. “Of course I’m coming! You talk about these delinquents all the time, I gotta scope out the competition.”

“Competition?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, taking another bite. “Gotta see who is getting too buddy buddy with you and take ‘em out.”

“It’s a _Buddy_ club they’re supposed to be friends with me, and don’t call them delinquents, they’re _alternative learning students_.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lance waved off Hunk’s worry. They finished their food in comfortable -as comfortable as possible in 95-degree heat- silence. When they were done, Lance wiped the grease off his hands with Hunk’s shorts, shrieking when Hunk tried to do the same to him.

“Alright dude,” Hunk said, having wiped his hands on his own shorts “you have stay quiet and be calm if you come, you can’t tease them or like egg them on because they will lay you out.” He took Lance’s wrapper from him and tossed them both in the trash. They began walking and Lance sucked some coke loudly through his straw.

“I’m sure I could take them.” Lance huffed, crossing his arms.

“Sure.” They both exchanged a smile, Lance’s quite a bit more reluctant than Hunk’s.

The walk to the library was easy, and Lance was more and more glad he came with every passing footstep as him and Hunk made idle conversation, it had been a while since they talked so aimlessly. With Senior year well underway, their childhood promises were fading, their friendship bracelets were getting worn. They both had their own projects, they were busy with scholarship essays, tests, AP classes, their own clubs, work, whatever else… Hunk and Lance, neighborhood friends, were drifting and it looked more and more like their forever would end with graduation. Lance sighed, he promised he would spend as much time with Hunk as he could this year. It’s an odd thing to miss your best friend, and Lance hated missing Hunk.  
The library was huge, old red brick with wide concrete stairs. A group of kids sat on one of the concrete walls on the edge of the stairs, reading and baking in the afternoon sun. One had bright orange hair and looked up, smiling at them and earning two wide smiles in return, she turned to the brunette next to her and they giggled to each other. A long-dry fountain was home to brown birds, chirping and hopping from edge to edge, an old lady sat on a bench nearby, smiling at the birds. Hunk and Lance raised their arms in greeting, the woman nodded back. They climbed the stairs together, their backpacks bouncing. Lance felt the phantom of all the footsteps that walked up these stairs before them, even their past selves, racing to the top, smiling missing teeth smiles.

“Also, try not to flirt with the people alright?” Hunk said.

“Aren’t they all super bad though?” Lance grinned at Hunk who sighed.

“Yes,” Hunk said opening the door and gesturing Lance in, “and you’re wearing a pastel blue tank top that says ‘Pretty Boy’ on it, bro.” The AC roared overhead, welcoming them in. Lance sighed in relief before responding.

“I’m very secure in my masculinity thank you.”

“Just don’t get punched please, your mom would get mad at me.” Hunk raised his hand in greeting to the receptionist. “Afternoon, Clara.” He said.

“Hello Hunk,” she responded warmly, taking her glasses off, and folding them. “Sign in, Katie’s mother signed her a while ago, she’s the only one I’ve seen so far.”

“Thank you,”

“Thank the taxpayers, they fund this library, I just sign people in.”

“You’re too modest.” Lance said, smiling. Hunk grabbed the clipboard and a pen from the counter, signing them both in. “Hi, I’m Lance, Hunk’s best friend.”

“Nice to meet you.” She said.

“I assure you the-”

“Come’on, Lance” Hunk said, pulling him away.

“Have fun with those troublemakers.” Clara gleefully waved them off.

The library was old but then again Lance wasn’t in there very much anymore. Down a hallway with exposed brick plastered with years old technicolor flyers, just past the nickel-per-sheet copy machine, was a rickety old elevator. It lurched so much it’s probably gone unused for months, luckily the stairs were through a door just slightly to the left. The door creaked open and the staircase was warm. More flyers were pinned up on bulletin boards on every landing, and bookshelves were flooded with miscellaneous novels, like the library couldn’t hold them all and they overflowed into the stairwell like water on old levees. The navy blue letters above the fourth-floor door read, “teen.”

Lance pushed open the door to a rather modern floor. The low orange couches and bubble chairs rested on new carpet. There was a computer room on the right, fit with a free printer and brand-new desktops, a few teenagers with huge headphones were furiously typing on the keyboards. Others lounged upside-down on bean bags with their friends and slipped in-between bookshelves. It was all uncharacteristically contemporary and lively for a hundred-year-old brick building.

Hunk led him to a row of doors labeled as study rooms one-through-four, and pushed open number three. Inside a small, maybe fourteen-year-old was standing on the back of a chair with their back to the door.

“Pidge” Hunk yelped, “Get down, you’ll fall.” The kid looked over at them, bored. Lance knew her, she’s the little smartass in his Japanese class, Katie.

“I’m not gonna fall.”

“Pidge, just get down.” She jumped off, huffing. “What were you even doing?” Hunk asked, putting his bag on the table.

“Just messing with the air conditioning.” Pidge said huffing again and plopping down into a chair in front of a huge, almost home-made looking computer. “It’s too hot.” She must be the kid Hunk always frets about, ‘Pidge hacked into the overcom and got suspended again’ or ‘Pidge nearly punched Gray for touching her computer’ or ‘Pidge started crying over a B- yesterday’ and on and on. He thought he was perceptive, but he somehow missed where Katie and Pidge were one in the same, he wondered why she went by Pidge here.

“The thermostat is right here,” Hunk cried, pointing to the wall. She popped her bubblegum at Hunk as he tried to scold her more and Hunk nearly burst. Lance laughed and closed the door behind them. Her eyes flicked to him, seeming to finally notice he was there, Lance gave her a cheeky grin and a peace sign.

Now that he was fully in the room he saw a few more teenagers, two sat the very end of the table both with unnaturally blonde hair. Another sat in the corner curled around a comic book with earbuds in. Next to Katie, (Pidge?) sat a guy with black bangs that hid his face and a deep red t-shirt that looked out of place next to Katie/Pidge’s horrendous color scheme of white, green, and orange. He looked vaguely familiar, the slope of his hunched back and the dark metal rings curling around his tapping fingers pulling at strings of memory. They must have a class together or something. None of them really looked like juvenile delinquents, if he was being honest, though, just weird kids.

“Anyway, everyone, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Lance.” Hunk said loud enough that it was obvious he was addressing the entire room. “He’s come to hang out with us today,”

  
“Wassup.” Lance waved with two fingers. They all looked up, mostly bored.

  
“Kon'nichiwa,” Katie/Pidge said. Lance chuckled and bowed, she smiled back at him. One of Hunk’s eyebrows hiked higher than the other. Echo’s of soft ‘hi’’s sounded from the rest.

“We have Japanese together.” He told him offhandedly as they sat down next to each other.

“You must be Keith,” Hunk said, leaning close to the table, trying to not look like he was trying to catch the guy’s eye. “When Gray comes in we’ll do name game again, to introduce all you guys.” Keith looked up at him through his bangs.

Keith! Lance’s mouth dropped open for a second before he clamped it shut. He knew Keith, that asshole was never in class, and he would know, they had half their classes together. He only showed up for tests. Lance never talked to him after the first few days of his emo-ass ignoring him. Lance could charm the fucking pants off of anybody, but this guy just wouldn’t bite. He scowled. Not only that but the few times he’s handed a test back to him he’d gotten the highest grade in the class. A title that Lance deserved. It was weird to see his classmates in delinquent club, he would have been none the wiser, well, honestly, he could have guessed that of Keith. It would explain a lot of things. Lance smiled ever so slightly to himself, no wonder Hunk didn’t want him to come today, it was nothing about him or not wanting to spend time together, but he knew Keith was starting. His slightly smiled soured, he wasn’t just going to launch into arguing with the kid! What did Hunk think of him? In fact, he wouldn’t even talk to Keith until Keith spoke to him. He set his chin, resolute.

“We do the name game sooooo much.” Pidge said, rolling her neck so it rested on the back of her chair. “You just told us his name”

“Then how would he know your name?”

“I know Keith, Keith and I are buds, right Keith?” Pidge said, nudging Keith.

“No.” He said. “I don’t know who you are.” Pidge gasped and Hunk snorted.

“We have math together!” Pidge whined.

“We do?” Lance and Hunk laughed quietly, and Pidge huffed, defeated. A second of silence passed, they all seemed to be waiting for Keith to say something else. When he didn’t, because of course he didn’t, Lance spoke up.

“So, Pidge,” He asked, voice pulling higher on the last syllable. She looked up, “should I call you Pidge, or Katie? Cause in class it’s Katie but…”

“Pidge.”

“Okay.” Pidge narrowed her eyes but leaned back in her chair, not seeming offended just… curious, maybe since Lance had accepted the name so easily. Hunk reached over and nudged at a contraption plugged into her computer.

“Hunk!” She whined, suspicion forgotten. “Why does everyone think they can just touch my stuff?” She turned to comic book kid and pointed at him. “Charlie is my new favorite friend because he never touches my stuff.”

“Charlie never does anything.” One of the blondes said.

“Charlie how about you come to the table.” Comic-book Charlie just stared at Hunk, who was smiling. “It wasn’t a suggestion,” He said sweetly. Charlie got up and sat in-between Keith and the other blonde. “Thank you.” Hunk said.

The group was boring. Hunk went through all these motions, but no one really paid attention to him. It quickly dissolved into everyone doing their homework, except Keith, Lance and Hunk. Lance and Hunk still sat side by side, playing one after another angry games of tic-tac-toe. It looked like Keith was sleeping, head bobbing to the rhythmic sound of Pidge reading and humming her math homework aloud.

“Ugh.” Pidge yelled after a while and dropped her head onto the table. “Math is so stupid, I hate this.”

Hunk chuckled, “You are taking a math three grade levels above you…” Losing the game to Lance for the third time in a row, he stuck his tongue out at Lance.

“So?” She responded, rolling her eyes.

“It’s 44 degrees.” Keith muttered, not opening an eye.

“What?”

“Mr. Maguire went over it with me the other day. Number 11 on module 6.2, right?”

“Yeah… How do you get it?” Keith sighed and sat forward, moving his bangs and grabbing Pidge’s pencil. Hunk and Lance’s game stopped and they both watched in awe. Hunk because Pidge was letting someone help her and Lance because he never thought Keith would help someone.

“He told you all this?” Pidge asked after Keith explained.

“Yeah he said it was in the notes packet he gave you guys.”

“I don’t remember him going over this,” Pidge muttered. Keith shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I have the answer key if you want to check your work.”

“Why do you have the answer key?!”

“Maguire always gives it to me.” He reached into his bag and dug around a bit before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. He smoothed it out and slid it  
next to Pidge.

“Make sure you just use that to check your answers, Pidge.” Hunk warned, butting into the conversation and marking down the third X to beat Lance’s <3’s with a grin. Lance squeaked, not wanting to admit he lost because he was eavesdropping. “No cheating.”

“I know, I know.”

Group closed down about twenty minutes later, everyone packing up a little beforehand except for Pidge, who now was tapping away on her, (possibly homemade) computer. Lance looked between her and Hunk in confusion, looking for an explanation but Hunk shook his head and mouthed ‘I’ll tell you later.’

Once the rest of the kids were signed out, either by their parents or simply driving themselves home, Pidge moved her things out of the study room and into a huge bubble chair that dwarfed her small body in plush neon green cushions and white plastic. Lance watched her out the window of the study room as Hunk finished cleaning up. It seemed simply everything was too big around her, her headphones sticking inches up from her messy hair, her circle glasses covering half her face and her clothes hanging off her, giving her merely a hypothetical shape of a body.

“Alright Buddy, ready?” Hunk asked.

“You bet.” They left the floor with a wave to Pidge and traced back through the bookshelves to the musty staircase and with a final wave to Clara they pushed out of the library.

They bounded down the large marble staircase into the evening heat. The air conditioning quickly leaking from their skin and the sticky summer heat beading in its place. Lance put his sunglasses on his nose and smiled, thriving in the sunshine. At the end of the staircase, Keith had laid out in the shade on the cement wall, earbuds in.

“Does he stick around too?” Lance asked Hunk. “Like Pidge?”

“Hmm? Keith? Maybe, today was his first day.”

“If he’s waiting he shouldn’t be alone out here…”

“I’m sure he can handle himself, we both have to go to work.”

“I’ll wait with him, I’ve still got time.”

“Alone? I thought you didn’t like him?” Hunk asked. “And you shouldn’t be alone.”

“How am I supposed to rival him if he’s dead? And I won’t be alone, _he’ll_ be with me.” Lance accented it with a disdainful snarl. Hunk sigh laughed.

“Whatever dude I gotta get to work, you’ll pick me up?”

“Yeah, bring me home some garlic knots.”

“Maybe!” Hunk called as he jogged off away from Lance. Lance smiled after him and walked the few steps to Keith, tapping him on the shoulder. He took out  
an earbud and propped himself up on one elbow, popping one black skinny jean clad knee up.

“Waiting for someone?” Lance asked, a curve to one eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Keith said shortly.

“You shouldn’t wait alone, especially with earbuds in.”

“Never died before.”

“That doesn’t mean- whatever, I’ll wait with you.”

“Suit yourself.” Keith said and laid back down. Lance hopped up on the wall next to him and smirked a little when he saw Keith hadn’t put his other earbud in again.

“So what’s up, Keith?” He cocked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

“What’s your favorite color”

Keith closed his eyes, no responding.

“Probably red right? mine’s blue.” Lance hummed, “What’s your favorite food?”

No response.

“What’s your ethnicity? You don’t really look white.”

Nothing. “I’m Cuban, have you ever been to La Rio Rica? It’s the best Cuban restaurant around.”

No response. Lance huffed.

“How come you’re never in class… how come you’re in group now.”

No response again.

“Why don’t you ever talk… why won’t you answer me?”

Still nothing, but Keith was smirking, head still turned up and away from Lance.

“Okay just because you think you’re hot shit doesn’t mean you can be rude. I’m trying to extend a hand of friendship, a beautiful hand of friendship if I might add. And you’re just completely ignoring me… I know you can hear me, you only have one ear bud in,” Lance huffed some more and leaned against a sun warmed pillar of concrete. There were a few moments of silence.

“Blue.”

“What?”

“Blue is my favorite color too.” Keith admits, still with a blank face titled up at the sky, bit a slight smirk hinted at the corners of his mouth.

“Blue? Really.”

No response.

“Ah, I see, that’s all I get huh. One response.”

“Maybe two.” Keith said. Lance smiled, but than scowled.

“Was that my second response? To not even a question?” Lance asked, and Keith chuckled.

“Keith!” A voice called. Lance turned his head quickly and Keith’s slight smile waned as he pushed himself up.

“Mr. Shirogane?” Lance asked, puzzled.

“You didn’t even bring the car?” Keith asked, puckering his lips. “I could have just walked myself home.”

“But now you have company, although I see you already had some.” Shiro said, glancing to Lance. “Hello Lance, don’t tell me you’re in this club too? You’re one of my best students.” He said in dismay.

The shock of seeing his teacher in shorts and a t-shirt, slurping a smoothie in the hot air made Lance’s tongue slow. Shiro’s arms strained the sleeve hem of his shirt, and his hair was free from gel. Keith swung his legs over the wall and stood, swinging his bag onto his shoulders.

“Mr. Shirogane.” Lance said, regaining his composure. “No, I drove Hunk down here for work today and just stayed.” Keith moved to stand behind Shiro, one earbud still in.

“Ah, I bet you were a fun influence.” He smiled sweetly, Keith tapped his foot. “Well, it was nice to see you, see you in class!” He said, before turning and waving. Lance waved back before chuckling and walking back to his truck.

_**[Lance, 4:47]** Mr. Shirogane is Keith’s dad?????? I thought he was like 25_

_**[Hunk, 4:49]** World’s youngest father, didn’t you see the article about it?_

_**[Hunk, 4:50]** He’s his step-brother/guardian, still weird tho _


End file.
